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“You’re 6’9″ and you Can’t Dunk”: When Shaquille O’Neal Gave ‘a Guy’ the Beatdown of his Life for Mocking Him

Arjun Julka
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"You're 6ft 9," and you Can't Dunk": When Shaquille O'Neal Gave 'a Guy' the Beatdown of his Life for Mocking Him

A once-in-a-lifetime attraction, Shaquille O’Neal’s physical attributes were unlike anything the league had ever seen before. Standing a little above seven-feet tall, the Big Diesel possessed an unreal dominance on the hardwood.

Widely regarded as the most dominant player to ever step on the NBA hardwood, Shaq was unguardable in the paint, posterizing opponents and breaking backboards. The former seven-foot center’s physical attributes had the opposition beat on merely sighting him in the arena.

In a career spanning close to two decades, Shaq won almost every accolade in the book, with his Hall of Fame resume boasting four championships, three Finals MVPs, a league MVP, two scoring titles, fifteen All-Star selections, and fourteen All-NBA selections.

Also read: “It Could Be Worse”: $400 Million Shaquille O’Neal Provides an Interesting Update on His Mental State

Recently, the Lakers legend surprised his fans by revealing the trailer of his upcoming docuseries on HBO titled SHAQ.

Shaquille O’Neal reminisces about giving a guy the beatdown of his life

A seven-footer with cat-like reflexes, O’Neal was a freak of nature, posterizing opponents regularly. The Lakers MVP’s size gave him an unparalleled edge over most of his opponents. Shaq stood a shocking 6’6″ at mere 13 years of age, touching 6ft 10″ when he turned 16 is when the Diesel discovered his calling for the game of basketball.

Notching records from when he was in high school, Shaq was touted to be something special. With his docuseries to be out soon, the Big Diesel narrates giving a guy the beatdown of his life for questioning his dunking skills.

“Take you back, 13 years old, 6ft 9,” there was a guy, who says, ‘You’re 6ft 9″ and you can’t dunk?’ I gave him the beatdown of his life.”

At the time, basketball wasn’t the only thing that Shaq had on his mind, expressing his desire to be a rapper, the Lakers center’s only priority was to be rich.

Shaquille O’Neal was the poster boy of power dunks in the NBA

Shaq’s unattainable size and strength gave him a visible advantage over most of his opponents. With 2,696 dunks under his belt, the Diesel ranks second as the all-time leader in dunks since 1996.

The former player-turned-TNT analyst’s ability to dominate the paint was something nobody could emulate, with the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and David Robinson bearing the brunt too.

Also read: “I may be 50, but I’m still Superman!”: Shaquille O’Neal attempts to dunk on his 50th birthday, shows he still has more bounce than Dwight Howard

About the author

Arjun Julka

Arjun Julka

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Arjun Julka is a NBA author at The SportsRush. Basketball isn’t just a sport for this 26-year-old, who hails from Mumbai. He began watching the sport after stumbling upon a court in his society, helping him identify an undiscovered passion for the game of hoops. Now an ardent fan, Arjun supports Stephen Curry and the Warriors but also enjoys watching Giannis Antetokounmpo own the paint. When it comes to the GOAT debate, the TSR author feels LeBron James is yet to receive a lot of his due but cannot deny marveling at Michael Jordan’s resume.

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